How much loss Railways suffered during anti-CAA, NRC protests in West Bengal

The Eastern Railway said in an affidavit that it suffered the brunt of the protests with losses amounting to Rs 72.2 crore, with the maximum being in the Sealdah division, which suffered damages worth Rs 46 crore.

In violence related to protests against CAA and NRC in West Bengal from December 13 to 15, the Indian Railways claimed to have suffered losses of properties worth Rs 84 crore.

Kacheguda Hyderabad train collision — The South Eastern Railway, in a separate affidavit, said that it suffered losses to its properties worth Rs 12.75 crore, including to trains, stations and tracks.Twitter/ANI

The Eastern Railway said in an affidavit before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising Chief Justice TBN Radhakrishnan and Justice A Banerjee that it suffered the brunt of the protests with losses amounting to Rs 72.2 crore, with the maximum being in the Sealdah division, which suffered damages worth Rs 46 crore.

The Malda division of ER suffered losses worth nearly Rs 24.5 crore, while the Howrah division's losses were more than Rs one crore, it said in an affidavit before the court on Friday in connection with a PIL seeking compensation to people and the railways for losses suffered in violence during the anti-CAA and anti-NRC protests.

The South Eastern Railway, in a separate affidavit, said that it suffered losses to its properties worth Rs 12.75 crore, including trains, stations, and tracks.

The matter will be taken up for hearing again four weeks hence, the court directed.

What is CAA?

The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) seeks to provide Indian nationality to Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, Jains and Buddhists fleeing persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

The CAA seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 to make Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi, and Christian illegal migrants from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, eligible for citizenship of India.